Check the U.S. State Department Warning Before You Go to Spring Break in Mexico

Mexico is one of the world’s top-ten most visited countries; it saw 11.44 million international tourists in 2017 alone. Stats even show that some 50 percent of college students plan a warm-weather getaway for spring break in Mexico as one of the top destinations.

But you may want to pay attention, because in december 2016, the U.S. State Department renewed its travel warning to large parts of Mexico, replacing a previous warning from April of last year. In it, the department warns U.S. travelers to avoid 14 of Mexico’s 31 states (including the popular spring break destinations of Baja California Sur, Nayarit, and Guerrero) due to high levels of violence and crime. No advisory is in effect for the federal district of Mexico City or the state of Quintana Roo, which includes Cancun, Cozumel, Playa del Carmen, Riviera Maya, and Tulum.

Though the warning notes that “there is no evidence that criminal organizations have targeted U.S. citizens based on their nationality,” and that “resort areas and tourist destinations in Mexico generally do not see the level of drug-related violence and crime that are reported in the border region or in areas along major trafficking routes,” it also states that “U.S. citizens have been the victims of violent crimes, including homicide, kidnapping, carjacking, and robbery in various Mexican states.”